Cloud dough
Well I think it’s called that if I can remember through my very busy mind at the moment. Have been manic with work, and out and about a lot (plus have a lovely new phone) so just haven’t had time to actually get blogging properly. Trying to still manage to catch up with other peoples blogs though.
Anyway, back to the subject. It’s been quite the topic of recent conversation recently amongst my online mum & baby friends due to everyone trying to think of lots of indoor play activities for their toddlers. I’d seen it on Pinterest and just pinned it away (must get round to actually setting out time to do each of the activities I’ve pinned to do with N!), but other friends had also seen it and used it.
It’s really simple to make: 7-8 cups of flour and 1 cup of veg/olive oil. Mix and you have a sandy type of texture which is mouldable. You can add cinnamon or cocoa to change the colour, and there are great pictures online of various different landscapes that child (and/or parents) have created along with greenery, cars, rocks etc). Not sure we’ll ever get that adventurous, but we made some mix today.
N’s got to the stage where he likes to ‘help’ so when I’m preparing dinner, I make sure everything I need is within reach (error first time we did it, and I found myself debating whether I would have to put him back on the floor each time I had to go across the kitchen for something else I’d forgotten), push a chair to the corner next to the worksurface I’m using and N can then help mix. Today it involved ready made pastry and chopping rather than anything he could help with so giving him a box with the cloud dough in, plus a few utensils, scoops, little pot etc kept him quite happy.
Unfortunately my preparation didn’t involve thinking about how much he’d drop on the floor, and how much he’d want to scoop out with the spoon onto my butcher’s block I’d put the other side of him as there wasn’t enough workspace room for everything to my right. He played for ages with it, and as it lasts for weeks, I’ve just put the lid on and put it away for next time.
Other ideas (the standard recipe is baby oil, but as that’s toxic, food oils work just as well and are safe if children like putting things in their mouth):
General sensory play
n.b. I was tagging this, and found myself typing in ‘cooking toddlers’…oops!
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